Jaguar XJ-C Restomod By Carlex Design Is Making Us Drool With Envy
Polish automotive design studio Carlex Design is an expert in turning "the standard to unique." However, its Jaguar XJ-C restomod is nothing short of a masterpiece. Other restomods like the new-age Opel Manta or Hyundai Pony Heritage have vintage body styles with electrified powertrains, and that's nice.
But other restomods like the Ferrari Testarossa by Officine Fiovaranti and the Shelby MKIII-R by Superperformance pay homage to good old dinosaur juice. Carlex Design's Jaguar XJ-C belongs to the latter group, but it's not the typical 4.2-liter inline-six or 5.3-liter V8 engines found in the original Series 2 XJ Coupe.
No, this magnificent Jag XJ-C has a V8 motor of unknown origins, but Carlex Design was kind enough to mention the horsepower number: 400. Yes, this Jag XJ-C restomod has come back to life with a 400-horsepower V8 engine, almost twice the grunt from its old-school gas engines. And while 400 horsepower is not enough to threaten supercars at the next set of stoplights, the Jaguar XJ-C is not about balls-out, straight-line speed.
On the contrary, there's no need to rush if you're behind the wheel of a gorgeous Jaguar vintage coupe. Carlex Design smoothened the edges, trimmed the bumpers, and laid back on the shiny bits to modernize the XJ's design. It also has a bespoke front grille, stylish LED round headlights, burlier fenders, and larger wheels inspired by the wheel design of the original Jaguar XJ Coupe.
The British Racing Green-inspired paint is a given for a Jag, but Carlex Design's XJ-C has a unique touch to make it stand out from every XJ-C built from 1975 to 1978. All XJ Coupes have a standard vinyl roof, and Carlex's XJ-C doesn't have one, but that's fine. We haven't seen a ton of Jag restomods, but we have heard the factory vinyl covering of the XJ-C attracts rust to the roof like bees to honey, so we'll make do with a shiny green top.
Meanwhile, the interior is worthy of a snapshot with its gorgeous, deep-dish, vintage-inspired three-spoke steering wheel, hand-aged leather upholstery, and a custom dashboard. In addition, the seats look spectacular, and Carlex Design has thrown in a standard rear roll bar to tame the car's mischievous back end.
We have no word on production numbers or pricing, but this V8-powered Jaguar XJ-C deserves a place in restomod history – but only if Carlex Design makes it for real.